The Hungarian Printing Industry Association, together with Muller Martini Eastern Europe and Koenig & Bauer, organized an Open House at the Publikum printing plant in the Serbian capital Belgrade. More than 100 visitors from all over Southeast Europe accepted the invitation. The event once again demonstrated what can be achieved today with modern printing and finishing technology in terms of efficiency. The visitors greatly appreciated this practical exchange of information – especially after a long break during which events of this kind could not be held due to the pandemic.
Publikum is an absolute showcase in the Eastern and Southeastern Europe region. "Our commitment, passion and appreciation for publishers and books have enabled us to achieve extraordinary growth in recent years," explained Publikum's Managing Director Sandra Rotović at the Open House.
The company produces softcover and hardcover books mainly for the international market and has focused on automated and integrated postpress solutions from the very beginning. An important milestone in the company's development last year was the commissioning of a new Muller Martini perfect binder and the new RF 700 backgluing and backlining machine for book blocks, which is linked to the existing Diamant MC 35 book line with 35 cycles from Muller Martini.
Investment in a Diamant MC 60 bookline with 60 cycles is also planned for the near future, so that the full capacity of the gluing line can be utilized. The expansion of capacity in the area of high-quality book production is in line with the figures presented by Roland Henn, Managing Director of Muller Martini Region Eastern Europe, according to which the book market is presenting itself positively both in Eastern Europe and internationally.
Roland Henn also took the opportunity to demonstrate how companies can respond to current trends in digitization and automation with the Muller Martini machine portfolio. Integrated solutions that cover all areas from workflow to logistics are the focus here. One focus here is also on the development of hybrid systems that can process both offset and digitally printed products. But Muller Martini has also responded to the increased use of inkjet printing systems with appropriate solutions – most recently with the SigmaLine Compact.
Sandra Rotović, Managing Director of Publikum, hosted the Open House in Belgrade.
"The event was an optimal format for us to enter into conversation with our customers from the Eastern European region and to exchange information about trends and upcoming projects. We will continue to push cooperation with associations from the printing industry in order to positively advance the industry," emphasized Frank Uhlemeyer, Regional Sales Manager at Muller Martini for the Eastern Europe region.